Coin chute



March 17, 1942. w. PATzERl-:T AL

GOIN CHUTE Fild Oct'. 2, 1939V WzLLZz'a/m Pa el: @d WazterA. @gse/v INVENTORS I l? 27s/Hex .ATTQRNEY- Patented Mar. 1.7, 1942 COIN CHUTE William Patzer and Walter A..Tratsch, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 2, 1939, Serial No. 297,474

(Cl. 19d- 101) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to coin testing devices,V

and particularly to the type known as a coin chute, which utilizes a magnet, among other things, for testing a coin and which includes some means such as a gate for opening a passage from the chute to provide egress for unacceptable or arrested coin elements.

The present invention constitutes an improvement over that shown in our copending application Serial No. 286,789, led July 27, 1939, and the present application is a companion application to our application led October 7, 1939, Serial No. 298,394.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of means for concentrating the eld of the testing magnet when the chute is in normal condition to receive a coin, and means for preventing the spreading of said eld when the gate or other passage opening means is operated to permit discharge of arrested coin elements from the chute so that such coin elements cannot be held in the chute by the spreading field to prevent discharge by the scavenging means orv mechanism.

Viewed from another aspect, it is an important object of the invention to provide in combination with a gate, in a coin chute, a permanent magnet arranged on a side of the passage opposite the gate, magnetically attractable means on the gate` opposite the magnet for concentrating the eld of force of the magnet in a certain area of the passageand adjacent to the magnetically attractable means, which remains relatively stationary when the gate is opened and which lnduces enough of the eld of force of the magnet to prevent eiective spreading of said field so that arrested coin elements in the passage adjacent the magnet will not be drawn into said neld when the gate is opened.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in certain details of construction as well as the arrangement and cooperation of the parts of the preferred embodiment vdescribed hereinafter in view of the annexed drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the chute lookingtoward the gate;

Fig. 2 is -a 'vertical transverse section through the held-concentrating means of the chute along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; t

Fig. 3 is a. horizontal fragmentary section through the magnet and concentrating means, looking in the direction of line 3-3 0f Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section similar to Fig. 3, but showing the gate in open position; while Fig. 5 is a diagram of the action ofthe field n of iorce without` the concentrating means.

As seen in Fig. 1, the preferred form of the device includes a main plate member Illadapted to be mounted in upright position and-constituting one side of a coin passage Il (Fig. 2). 'Ihe opposite wall portion of thepassage is defined by a gate l2 pivotally mounted as at I3 on ears struck from the main plate and through which is extended a suitable pintle rod-I4. The gate tends of its own weight to lie in parallelism with the main plate member l, the Amajor portion of the coin passage Il being formed between the gate and the main plate member, and the gate having an upper offset portion I 5- spaced from the main plate member so as to provide a coin entrance I6.

Between the gate and main plate there is disposed a member providing an inclined ledge I1 Fig. 2) which is preferably attached to the inner side of the gate. The upper end portion of the runway or ledge lies beneath the coin entrance I6 while the lower extremity terminates in they region above a separatrm-N attached to the plate member about midway between its vertical sides so as to denne a pair of exit passages I9 andl 20, the former oi which is av reject exit, and the latter of which is an acceptance exit.

Means for testing the coins deposited in the device includes the provision of a feeler 2l :pivoted as at 22 on the gate and having an end portion 23 projecting through an openingt 24 'in the 'l gate (Figs. 2 and 4 also) so as to lie in' the path of coin elements deposited inthe entrance and moving down onto lthe runway, the object of the arrangement being to arrest apertured and clertain deiormed coin element-s in the region lmmediately adjoining the entrance. i Elements` ar-A rested bythe feeler 2l are intended to be discharged from the chute passage by opening of the gate, which ultimately withdraws the feeler from the passage, such elements gravitating into a downwardly inclined reject apron 25 having an ope'n mouth 26 beneath the upper bottom edge of the gate and having a discharge mouth 21 terminating ,opposite the reject exit I9 into which the ejected coins movewhen the gate is opened.

A further testing means (Figs. 2 and 3) includes some form of magnet, for example, a permanent magnet 29, secured tothe outside of the main.

plate member il! so that is pole pieces 3U are disposed substantial!v opposite the lower end portion lla ol the runway l 1.

`Means i'or concentrating the lines of force isheut-e the field emanating therefi the provision of a plate Il having a portion fitted into an opening in the gate and secured to the latter as at 32, the plate being made of a suitable paramagnetic substance and so dimensioned with respect to the pole pieces III thatit will induce the major portion of the ux or field of force issuing from the magnet. Thus, the effective field of the magnet is concentrated in the region adjacent the lower end of the runway I1, so long as'the gate is closed to dispose the keeper plate II in proximity to the pole pieces of the magnet, as illustrated, for instance in Fig. 3.

Difiiculty has been encountered in prior arrangements of this kind because persons with fraudulent intent have deposited one or more magnetically attractable coin elements in the chute `with the foreknowledge that such coin elements would -be arrested by the flrst testing means ahead of the magnet-that is, by the feeler 2 I for example-and thereafter'manipulation of the gate for the purpose of effecting return of arrested coin elements would cause the magnetically attractable element to be drawn into the field of the magnet and held there until the gate would be closed either for the purpose of deliberately jamming the chute `or, to effect a working or jostling of such coin elements, or subsequently deposited fraudulent coin elements, one or more` of which, by certain manipulation of the gate, would utlmately be worked past the magnet and be thus fraudulently caused to be accepted.

Buch fraudulent manipulation of this class of device results from the fact that as soon as the gate I2a of Fig. 5 is opened and the keeper lia is therefore withdrawn from the pole pieces 30a of the magnet, the field tends to widen out in the manner illustrated by the lines of force F. and this field will spread far enough to inuence a coin element C positioned in the region adjacent the feeler 2 Ia, with the result that such coin willnot gravitate from the passage even though the gate is wide open, but will instead be quickly pulled into the more concentrated portions of the field, usually opposite the poles of the magnet,

vwith the objectionable consequences heretofore referred to.

The present invention has as its principal object the provision of means for preventing the expansion or spread of the otherwise normally concentrated field of the magnet, andthis'means includes in its broad aspect the provision'of a magnetically attractable member arranged in the normally concentrated field of the -magnet and normal position with the pole legs or pieces 42 lying substantially flush with the inner face of the keeper plate and the inner surface of the gate as indicated at 46 in Fig. 3. This adjustment brings the pole legs 42 into close proximity to the poles 30 of the magnet without obstructing the coin passage.

The gate I2 is .opened by a hand-operated or controlled lever 41 (Fig. 1) which moves a cam 48 against a roller 49 on the gate and swings the latter outwardly of the main plate and into open i position, thus removing the normal support of the runway or ledge i1 from beneath coin elements in the passage, with the object of causing such coin elements to gravitate into the apron or into the reject exit I9. Operation of the lever 41 also causes the roller 49a to move a scavenging sweep or arm 43a from its normal retracted position across the poles of the magnet to dislodge any coin elements held by the latter.

When the gate is opened by manipulation of lever 41 as aforesaid, the field-concentrating plate 40 remains in relatively stationary condiarranged to remain relatively stationary with respect to the keeper plate II on the gate when the gate is open. A preferred arrangement of this auxiliary concentrating means includes a plate 40 of magnetically attractable or paramagnetic material such as soft iron or any of the magnetic alloys, which is provided with opposite offset ears 4I along its upper edge, said ears being pvotally supported on the pintle rod I4 so that the plate will hang in pendent condition much in the same manner as the gate I2. The lower end portion of the plate 40 is slotted and offset laterally to provide a' pair of legs or pole pieces 42 (Fig. 3 particularly), each of which extends through a suit opening 4I in the keeper plate II.

Adjusting moans for the field-concentrating member includes a set screw il threaded through the plate 4Ii with its' end portion 46 bearing against the inner face of the main plate member Il so that the screw may be turned up various amounts to dispose the pivoted plate 40 in a tion, this disposition of the parts being illustrated in Fig'. 4 wherein it will be observed that the pole legs 42 induce enough of the lines of force Ilv from the magnet to prevent spreading of the field appreciablyjoward the testing .finger 23. As a result of this arrangement, coin elements arrested by the nnger 23, even though they be magnetically attractable, may gravitate directly into the apron 25 since there is no appreciable field close to the finger 23 and strong enough to pull the coin elements toward the magnet.

In the normal operation of the chute, acceptable coin elements pass through the field of the magnet at a predetermined rate in approaching and leaving the end of the runway, and this field affects dynamic properties of the coin elements in a way such that acceptable coins always Afollow the sarne general trajectory and engage a rebound anvil 50 which changes ythe course of their movement and carries them over the exit reject I9 and the separator I8 into the acceptance passage 20.

If, forany reason, coin elements, whether acceptable or not, fail to negotiate the chute passage and become lodged' therein, the patron manipulates the level 41 to open the gate and effect return of the arrested. coin element. If such elements happen to be magnetically attractable, and, whether deposited with fraudulent intent (e. g. iron slugs, washers, etc.), oi' without such intent (e. g. Canadian nickels), they will be prevented from jamming the chute by action of the field-concentrating means 40-42.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters ble Patent is: l. In a coin chute, means providing a coin passage having an opening constituting a reject exit, a gate normally closing said opening and` exit and arranged to be opened vto permit discharge of arrested.. coin elements from said passage, a magnet disposed on a side of said passage nopposite said gate, magnetic means on said gate for concentrating the field of force of said magnet with respect to a certain region of said passage.

and stationary magnetic means mounted in posi- L tion with respect to said first-mentioned magnetic means to limit the spreading of said field of force when the-gate is opened and moves said firstmentioned magnetic means away from the magnet.

2. In a coin chute including a gate and a mag net arranged opposite the gate, said gate being normally closed to deiine a side portion of. the passage and being adapted to be opened to permit discharge of coin elements lodged in the passage, the combination with said gate and magnet of magnetically attractable means on the gate opposite the magnet for concentrating the field of force from the latter when the gate is closed and relatively stationary paramagnetic means mounted for adjusting movement into the field of said magnet in alignment with said first-mentioned magnetic means and adapted to induce the major portion of the iield of force of said magnet to concentrate said field with respect to said passage when the gate'is open and said first-mentioned magnetic means is thereby moved away from the magnet.

3. In a coin chute including a gate and a magnet arranged opposite the gate, said gate being normally closed to deiine a side portion of the passage and being adapted to be opened to permit discharge of coin elements lodged in the passage, the combination with said gate and magnet of magnetically attractable means on the gate opposite the magnet for concentrating the field o! force from the latter when the .gate is closed, and relatively stationary paramagnetic means mounted for adjusting movement toward and away from said magnetically attractable means and magnet and having-a polar portion projecting through said magnetically attractable means to induce the iieldor force of the magnet cooperably with said magnetically attractable means, said paramagnetic means being adapted to remain relatively stationary with respect to the magnet when said gate is opened and said polar portions by induction limiting the expansion of said eld.

4. In a coin chute. the combination with a gate arranged to be opened laterally of the chute passage to provide egress for arrested coin elements, of a permanent magnet mounted on a side of the passage opposite the'gate, a keeper plate mountedY on the gate opposite the magnet to concentrate the eld of the latter, and an auxiliary magnetic member pivotally mounted for movement in a direction toward and away from said plate and magnet and having parts constituting polar por- Y tions projected through said plate toward said magnet, means for maintaining said auxiliary member vith said polar portions thereof in adjustably spaced relation relative to said magnet, said keeper plate and auxiliary magnetic memlber being arranged for relatively independent WILLIAM PATZER. WALTER A. TRATSCH. 

